What you need to know
- Apple has formally responded to Epic's request for a restraining order.
- The order asks for Fortnite to remain on the App Store while the lawsuit is ongoing.
- Apple says that Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney asked for a "special deal" for Fortnite.
Apple has responded to Epic Games' lawsuit against its App Store policies.
Reported by CNBC, the company has told the court that Epic Games violated its App Store rules and should not be allowed back in the store while the legal battle between the two companies continues.
According to the filing, Apple says that Epic Games and its CEO Tim Sweeney had looked for specialized treatment in the store, something that would put a hole in Epic's argument that the company is fighting for equality for all developers on the platform. Phil Schiller, who runs the App Store for Apple, says that Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney sent him a letter directly asking for such a deal.
"On June 30, 2020, Epic's CEO Tim Sweeney wrote my colleagues and me an email asking for a 'side letter' from Apple that would create a special deal for only Epic that would fundamentally change the way in which Epic offers apps on Apple's iOS platform," former Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller wrote in a declaration. Schiller, whose title is now Fellow, runs Apple's App Store.
Schiller went on to say that the request specifically focused on Epic's ability to bypass the App Store's in-app payment system and offer its own way of accepting payments in the game. Apparently, Sweeney emailed Schiller the morning that Fortnite began offering such a payment system, without Apple's permission, saying that the company "will no longer adhere to Apple's payment processing restrictions."
Epic had requested a temporary restraining order to put Fortnite back on the App Store until the lawsuit was over, saying that the app's removal from the store was an emergency to its business. Apple has responded saying that "the 'emergency' is entirely of Epic's own making." The hearing to decide on that restraining order is set for Monday.
